Bus Rides
by Death's Servant
Summary: Because there's a bus that goes around at midnight. AU.


**Dedicated to: MiladyQueenMab, cause it's her birthday. The 6th of October. Happy Early Birthday!**

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><p>She had always been a bit of a loner.<p>

She was well-known, or popular, as some might say, but she always felt a gaping sort of loneliness.

In the kind of town where everybody knew everybody, and you couldn't make out behind

the bleachers without everybody knowing the next day, she had one friend.

One.

Her mom declared that she had been born to stand out, never to fit in.

Then again, it was kind of hard to fit in when your skin was deathly pale and you had

near-purple eyes.

Others thought her to be beautiful. She thought herself to be freak.

A monster.

She was supposed to be perfect.

The girl that could do no wrong, blessed by the gods.

She had so many flaws, so many imperfections, but no one understood that.

She constructed thick walls, almost impenetrable. Why should anyone see her inner

turmoil? She was only human, but everyone expected her to be more.

As if she was a god.

Everyone looked down on her whenever she did something wrong. She was nothing in

their hands, only a passing beauty. She hated those times, the stares, the wilting looks,

and the smirks on the faces. Why couldn't they just let her be?

She wanted no attention. None.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

He had always been plain.

Growing up in the big city, he realized that he always just blended in. There was no

recognizing who he really was, because there were just too many people. Whenever

someone saw him, they snickered and called him 'That weird otaku.'

Was that supposed to be a good label? He was so much more than that.

Why could they remember his label but not his name? Was he not important, not an

individual?

It was then that his obsession began.

He craved for attention. He needed it pumping in every vessel in his body, coursing in his

blood. It was like his drug. That fleeting moment when everyone stares at you, the feeling

of his heart beating rapidly in his chest, excitement pounding in his ears. Because, even if

it was just for that split second, he was known.

He hated the bad attention, the flip side to the clapping and jeers. The aftershock always came back to haunt

him; the pointing, the names, the secret whispers. They talked like he was deaf, or even

blind.

He wasn't the least bit disabled. He was just human.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She loved the feeling of just being.

She loved the sound of the bus wheels screeching.

She loved the slight fog on the windows, and the motley group of passengers.

Most of all, she loved that no one stared.

No one noticed her.

On the train, she wasn't Hotaru Imai. She was just a girl, with way too many layers of

clothing and an overly large hat, riding a bus.

A bus that comes around at midnight.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

He had been waiting too long for the bus to come.

The station was practically empty, all except for him and a musician. The distinct swing

of blues echoed in the background, the saxophone player pouring note after note out of

his instrument, the rich tone floating into a sweet melody. Happy, even.

He suddenly felt the urge to hum.

The train was 10 minutes late, and he didn't know how much more of this bitter cold he

could take. He wanted to turn around, pretend he didn't just spend two dollars on a bus

ride that lasted god knows how long, and go home. But this was his freedom, his breath

of fresh air, and that was worth more than five dollars.

The bus slowly made its way into the station, rhythmically clanging on the road. The

driver, spying a new passenger, made an abrupt stop, and he clamored onto the train.

He took slow, deliberate steps up, and stood still, observing the passengers displayed

before him.

The smell of cigarettes wafts into his nostrils, with a heavy dose of perfume.

Hayate had never felt so alive before.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She stares at the boy in the front, standing there looking very idiotic. He reminds her

of a puppy, wide eyed and trying to take in everything, like there's not enough time to

understand, to know, to learn.

There isn't, and she knows that. But that doesn't entitle him to stand in the doorway,

blocking the exit.

She pulls her collar up higher as the cold December air sweeps in, and somehow sensing

her discomfort, he moves into the seat next to her.

He turns toward her, and holds out his hand, "Hi. I'm Hayate."

His skin is cold to the touch.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

He's infatuated with her.

This girl has a kind of aura that intimidates him, but he goes towards it like a moth to a

lamplight.

She's pleasant enough, with a sarcastic edge to her tone, sometimes harsh.

He finally worked up the nerve to talk to someone. He feels better already.

One small step for anyone, one giant leap for Hayate.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She likes the conversations they have, mainly because she doesn't have to talk much.

Her dislike for talking came after years of not talking, leaving her not knowing what to

say.

It's soothing, listening to his mindless chatter while she thinks. Her thoughts drift, and

she wishes that she could be this normal in school, just...unknown.

He asks her a question, and she turns towards him, opening her mouth to answer.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She reminds him of a character on an old show; one he watched when he was a kid.

She reminds him of Cool Blue Sky.

He can't remember exactly when he fell in love with her, which bus ride, what time.

But somewhere along the way, he found that he could only think about her. The way she

smiles, microscopic but heartwarming. The twinkle in her eye when she finds something

he did amusing. Her hair, when it blows in the wind.

When he accidentally slips the name Cool Blue Sky, she just stares at him and shakes her

head.

Because she's cool like that.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She can tell when he'd fallen in love with her.

All boys seemed to do that, and it annoys her to no end. Couldn't they just be friends?

His eyes always seemed to be pleading, as if begging her to give him a sign, that she

liked him too.

She didn't, not in that way.

Tomorrow would be her last bus ride, she decided.

Nothing would change that.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

When she wasn't on the bus, he waved it off as her being sick.

The days seemed to pass faster without her, all of it spent waiting.

He just couldn't part with this bus, too many memories were here, and he was clinging on

the last bit of hope, hope that she would come back.

His heart soared when he saw those familiar boots clicking against the floor, the figure

attached to it stopping right before she got to him, as if contemplating whether or not to

talk to him.

_Come_! He urged, but only in thought.

As if she had heard him, she came over. Time seemed to slow down as he waited for her

heel to touch the ground.

_Faster, Dammit!_ His face was probably a mix of anxiety and anger.

He noticed slight changes in her too. Her face was more… human. Not as hostile, and

almost…happy. Her nose wasn't as tall in the air, her chin not so high. It was like

someone had brought her back down to earth, and he wished, he hoped, it was him.

His heart shattered into a million pieces when she gave him her wedding invitation.

~*+-萤*+-.-+*风-+*~

She half-felt an urge to cry of joy, and half-felt an urge to puke.

She was swathed in yards and yards of some filmy looking material, a veil on top of her

head.

She made a mental note; tell daughter to choose a different colored wedding dress.

The dress itself was beautiful, but it looked a bit too innocent for her taste, and a bit too

cliché.

She twirled around, feeling every bit like a Disney princess, and that thought itself almost

made her want to call off the whole wedding.

Her true nature showed when her skirt hiked up a bit and one could see her black boots.

She was always going to be the rebel of the family.

She didn't know why, but she felt attached to these shoes, as one might feel attached to a

child, or a sibling. These boots had made it through with her up until now, and she sure as

hell wasn't going to let them go.

The padded pathway was soft, velvet of a rich burgundy color.

She gazed around at the faces.

It was a big wedding, mainly because of Ruka. She could pick out some of the people

she invited; there was her best friend, there were her parents, and there were the CEOs of

big companies she had invited for business purposes. Then she saw him.

He sat stiffly in a black suit, looking most uncomfortable as he fiddled with his fingers.

When he caught her gazing at him, he let a small smile bloom on his face. She wiggled

her fingers to acknowledge him.

A mindless drone filled her ears, when the preacher opened his mouth. She was never one

to appreciate long speeches, and certainly not boring ones.

She said her vows quietly, so that only the preacher could hear her. She was never one to

make a scene, even when the spotlight was on her.

She turned to her fiancé and their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss.

_Thank you. _

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><p><strong>I'm drowning from schoolwork, and working with Queenie's B'day deadline. Not very good for writing a story.<strong>

**Thanks to my lovely beta, who provided the breaks. Yeah... I never sent it back to her after revisions. Whoops.**

**Heh. Son of Neptune is out and I'm just bursting with joy. Whee. Can you see me cheering? Of course you can't.**

** Love it? Hate it? Wanna flame it? Review. Or not. It's your decision.**

**~Nintendo DS**


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